By means of an adjustable, conventional valve train, which comprises two cams of different cam lift, the cylinder of an internal combustion engine can be operated in two different operating modes. If, instead of two cams of different lift only one single cam and—instead of a second cam—a base circle without cam lift is used, the cylinder can be shut off by means of the valve train. In such a shut off state, a cam follower, coupled to a gas exchange valve of the cylinder, does not interact with the single cam, but rather with said base circle, so that the gas exchange valve is not actuated.
A valve train of the type named in the introduction is known from DE 199 45 340 A1.